Flying hot saw



July 14, 1953 W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW 12 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 6, 1949 INVENToR. w/L z /AM JEQDLEE A TTO/VEYS W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW Julyv14, 1953 y 12 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6, 1949 ATTORNEYS July 14, 1953 w. RoDDER 2,645,001

FLYING HOT SAW l Filed Jan. 61949 12 sheets-sheet s INVENTOR. WILL/AM QDDEP zaad/ff@ W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW July 14, 1953 I2. Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 6, 1949 .-.y /1NVENToR- w/L/AMFODDEJ? ATTORNEYS `July 14, 1953 W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 6, 1949 IN VEN TOR. W/l L /A/V EODE 4 TTORNEYS July 14, 1953 w. RoDDER 2,645,001

FLYING HOT SAW A Trokwe'rs l W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW July 14, 1953v 12 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Jan. 6, 1949 mK www INVENTOR. wu L /A M JPQDDH? A TTOPNEYS July 14, T953 w. RoDDER 2,645,001

, FLYING HoT sAw Filed Jn. e, 1949 12 sheets-sheet 8 /N veA/role y c 9 BY y wu; /AM )Poppi-'7? A TTOP/VE'YS July 14, 1953 w. RobDER 2,645,001

` FLYING HOT SAW Filed Jan. 6. 1949 12 sheets-sheet 9 l INVENTOR. @.10 w/L/AM FODDHP July 14, 1953 Filed Jan. 6, 1949 W. RODDER FLYING HOT sAw Rafa/ 12 Sheets-Sheet l0 INVENTOR. W/L /A N FODDP A TTO/VEYS W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW July 14, 1953 w n .n

m M E W W V M w .Y 0 m M A u a n.. Y m /nf/ A@ E===E==EIEE=I|====EE=E M 2 A ..MM-MAN l A a WKW N In: IIA I W. RODDER FLYING HOT SAW July 14, 1953 12 Sheets-Sheet l2 Um. e.

Filed Jan. 6, 1949 'A rroze/vfys Patented July 14, 1953 --UNITED STATES, PATENT GFFICE n y FLYING Ho'r SAW n William Redder, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The Aetna-Standard Engineering Company,

Youngstown,.0l1io, a. corporation of Ohio ,Application January 6, 1949, Serial No.169,521

26 claims. (c1. 29-69) v 1 This invention relates to apparatus for cutting off successive lengths from continuously moving stock, vand more particularly to Vflying hot saws for severing rapidly moving tubing, pipe, rod kor the like into accurately cut lengths as the material emerges from amill. The apparatus described herein is' designed Vparticularlyv for sawing welded pipe into lengths Ibutitis to be understood that'the invention has other usesand applications. Y Y

In the manufacture 'of steel pipe by the wellknown Fretz-Moonp1ocess,-skelp is heated to Welding temperature vin a furnace and 4then passed'at high speed through forming 'and weld# ing rolls. The skelp is supplied in large coils and the forward endv of one coil is welded to the-trail-` ing end of the preceding coil before the skelp enters the furnace, thus -making it possibleto carry on the welding operation without interruption for relatively long periods of time.v Mills of this type operate at'highrates of speed. -It is therefore necessary to provide some sort of ying cut-off mechanismv in order -to cut the pipe into lengths as it emerges from the millat speeds of, for example, as high as one thousand feet per minute Y 'i Cut-off devices of thissort shouldbe capable of uninterrupted. operation for relativelyvff long periods of time for, the reason thatfailure Vof-the cut-'offA device necessitates shutting down the mill.` The devices should be-capable of operation on pipe or the like of various sizes,` shouldbe'ad-v justableV toV cut the pipe accurately into various lengths, should be capable of operation atdifferent mill speeds and shouldcutthe pipe Without substantial damage to the ends of the pipe. A general'object of the present invention is to provide a flying saw orvcut-off of an improved type and capable of vattaining the above desiderata. r Y A 'il Further objects of the. invention include the` provision Yof a flying cut-off apparatus in whichthe cutting tool is moved continuously in a cir` cular path or orbit, thus avoiding the necessity of starting and stopping heavy machine parts as is required where reciprocating .cutting tools are employed. Another object is the provisionof a flying saw or cut-off in which the'length of the cut can be varied While the apparatus isgrunning. Another object is the provision of such a machine inv which the speed of the cuttingftool during the cutting operation closely apprcxirnatesthe speed of the work'being cut. Another object iszthe pro-1 vision of a machine in whichthe lineal speed;

of the cuttingA tool in vits orbit can be varied .while y provision ofV such an apparatus embodying simpler vpower operated controls so that the operator can make required adjustments rapidly and easily.

Briefly, I accomplish the foregoing and other objects of the `invention by providing a rotary support for myA saw or other cutting tool, the support being in the form of a crank mechanism adapted yto carry the saw or'the like in acircular path. Means are provided for guiding the Work in ay path disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of the circular path lof rotation of thecut-j ting tool,`the direction of action of the cutting tool being perpendicular tothe path of the work. The crank mechanism carrying the cutting tool is rotated by driving mechanismv either mechanically or electrically synchronized with the driving mechanism of the millso that the rotational movement of the tool in itsorbit is in timed re'- f lationshipv with the lineal speed ofthe Work. The

n work is guided in a pathv which is normally' ad-y jacent to but does not intersect the circular path of the cutting tool; means are provided, however, for periodicallyy deecting the Work from its normal path into the path of the cutting. tool thereby to sever the stock. The work is preferably de-` flected rapidly so that the cutting operation 'takes place in a very shorttime, thus minimizing the effect of differences between the'lineal rspeeds of the saw and the work. Adjustments are provided for varying the revolutions per minute ofthe cutting tool in its circular path Vor orbit, for vary'- ing the radius of the circular path ofthe cutting tool and thus the lineal speed of the cutting tool, and for varying the number of revolutions made by the cutting tool in'its circular path 4per operation of the means for deflecting the work'into Y' the path-of the cutting tool. l By these means the length of the sections cut from the work can be variedthroughout a Wide range and the machine can be adjusted to operate yaccurately and efli-- ciently throughout a wide range of mill speeds.A

Referring now 'to the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred form of flying hot saw embodying lmy invention; Figure2jis a front elevation'of the machine shown in Figurejl; Fig-r ure 3 is a plan view of the machine; Figure4 is a' plan view of the bottom section'of `the machine l which embodies the stock guiding and stock de-j flecting mechanism, the upper section of the ma,-y chine being removed for convenience in illustrae tion; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic View illustratingy the actionof the deflecting cam and the saw,

and showing the' path of the pipe or other Work-v Y piece to be severed; Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view through the entire apparatus, the section being taken substantially as indicated by line 6--6 of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view showing the diiferential gearing mechanism employed for adjusting the length of the crank arms while the apparatus is in operation; Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view on an enlarged .scale showing the crank mechanism for carrying the cutting saw in its orbital path; Figure 9 is a front elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure 8; Figure 10 is a vertical sectional detail showing a portion of thev drive for the adjusting mechanisms; Figure 11 is an elevational view showing the driving mechanism for the stock deecting cam; Figures 1,2 and 13 are transverse sectional views of the driving mechanism for the stock duplicating cam taken along the lines I2-I2'and I3-I3, respectively, of Figure 11; Figure 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the drive mechanism of Figure 11 taken along the line I4-I4 of Figure 11; Figure 15 is an elevational view illustrating the controls for the change speed gear mechanism in the deflecting cam drive; Figure 16 is a section taken along the line IE--I 6 of Figure 15; Figure 17 is a detail of the gear shifting mechanism taken as indicated by the line I'I-II of Figure 14; Figure 18 is a detail of the drive for adjusting mechanism; Figure 19 is a section as indicated by line IS-IB of Figure 18; Figure 20 is a view taken as indicated by line 20-20 of Figure 18 and showing a dial for indicating the length of cut taken by the machine; and Figure 21 is a cross-sectional detail of a clutch mechanism incorporated in the Yadjusting mechanism, the section being taken along the line 2I-2I of Figure 18.

General arrangement- As shown particularly in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, a preferred form of flying saw embodying the present invention comprises a base section, indicated in general at I0, adapted to be supported on the mill oor, and a top section, indicated in general at I I, adjustably mounted upon the base section. I'he base section is provided with guides I2 for the workpiece W shown herein as a length of pipe such as produced by a Fretz-Moon mill, and also carries the work deflecting cam I4 and the mechanism for operating it. The top section carries the cutting tool, which in the present embodiment is a circular saw I6, and the crank mechanism for carrying the saw in a circular path. The workpiece travels in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2, and the direction of rotation of the cam I4 and the direction of movement of the saw in its circular path are also indicated by arrows in that iigure.

The cam I4 is mounted for rotation on a shaft I'I, and the shaft in turn is carried by an eccentric IB so that by proper timing of the rotation of the eccentric I8 and the shaft I'I, the cam can be arranged to deflect the workpiece W into the path of the saw with `the notch I9 of the cam arranged to receive the saw, the notch being disposed in the highest part of the pear-shaped cam. The mechanism for driving the cam in proper timed relation with the saw includes change speed gearing to provide for cutting a wide range of lengths; the drive mechanism is carried by the base section IIJ of the machine and will be described in detail below.

The saw I6 is driven by an electric motor 20, the saw preferably being mounted directly on the shaft of the motor. 'I'he saw blade is partially enclosed by a guard 2|.

The motor 2i)Y is supported by the frame member 22, and the entire assembly of saw, motor and frame member is carried in a circular path by substantially identical crank members 24 and 25, the two cranks carrying the saw in its circular path with the axes of the motor and saw at all times substantially parallel to the path of the work and the plane of the saw blade substantially perpendicular to the path of the work.

The cranks 24 and 25 are supported on shafts 26 and 21, respectively; the shafts are driven at the desired speed by the main drive motor 29 which is mounted on the upper section II of the machine. The main drive motor 29 is driven is at a speed proportional to the speed of the mill delivering pipe to the apparatus, suitable conventional electrical controls indicated diagrammatically at 28 being provided for this purpose so that the speed of the motor 29 varies directly with the speed of the mill. Motor 29 drives the crank arms through suitable shafting and gearing, including the speed reducer 30 and the P.I.V. (positive infinitely variable drive) 3l, and also drives the cam I4 through the vertical transfer shaft 32 which engages a splined sleeve 33 to enable the upper section II to be raised and lowered on the base I0 without interrupting the drive of the cam.

The upper section I I is supported on the base by four screw jacks 35 disposed substantially at the four corners of the base and of substantially identical construction. These screw jacks may be adjusted by means of the adjusting motor 36 which is mounted on the upper section and which drives the jack adjusting shafts 3'I, 38, 39 and 40 through the bevel gearing 4I, vertical shalt 42 and bevel gearing 43 (see Figures 3 and 10). The adjusting motor also drives the mechanisms for controlling the P.I.V. 3| and for adjusting the lengths of the cranks 24 and 25. By these mechanisms, the length of the crank arms (and hence the lineal speed of the saw), the position of the upper section upon the base section, and the speed of rotation of the crank arms and cam can all' be adjusted simultaneously while the apparatus is running. Clutches are provided in the drive from the adjusting motor to enable adjustments to be made individually as well as simultaneously. Thus, the operator, by means ofthe change speed gearing and the simple controls for the adjusting motor 36, can make such adjustments are may be necessary to control the apparatus accurately to cut the work into sections of the desired length.

The relationships between the saw, the work and the work deflecting cam are illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 5. As indicated, the saw I6 is carried uniformly in a circular path by the cranks 24 and 25. The diagram shows the paths of the center and the cutting edge of the saw with the cranks set for an intermediate radius of, for example, 20 inches, but the radius can be increased or decreased, the top section of the machine and, correspondingly, the center line of the cranks being raised or lowered. respectively, with increasing or decreasing radii, so that the lowermost point in the travel of the saw is at substantially the same level for all radii. The center lines of the cranks for maximum and minimum radii and the locus of the center of the cam in a typical embodiment of the invention are also indicated in the drawing. The normal path of the workpiece is outside of (beneath, in the arrangement shown) the path of the saw so that the saw saw by the cam I4.

It will be evident that if the workpiece travels at a constant lineal speed, the length of cut made by the saw is determined by the rotational speed of the saw in its circular path and by the action of the deilecting cam. For example, if the work is traveling at 1000 feet per minute and the saw is carried around its circular path at the rate of 100 R. P. M. and the deflecting cam I4 is operated to deflect the work into the path of the saw during every other revolution of the saw, then the workpiece will be cut into foot lengths. If the rotational speed of the saw is reduced and the speed of the cam correspondingly reduced while the speed of the work remains constant, then the length of cut will be increased. Similarly, an increase in the rotational speed of the saw will reduce the length of cut. If the cam is operated to deflect the workpiece into the path of the saw during every third revolution of the saw, then the length of cut.

for a given speed will be one and one-half times the length cut obtained by operating every other revolution, and further reductionsin frequency of cutting will correspondingly increase the length of cut. Thus, by variation of the speed of rotation of the saw and by changing the frequency of operation of the deflecting cam, the length of cut can be varied through a wide range. The lineal speed of the saw is adjusted to correspond closely to the lineal speed of the workpiece by adjusting the radius of the path of travel of the saw by means of cranks 24 and 425, the position of the top section on thebase being adjusted to maintain the correct relationship between the workpiece and saw when the saw is in cutting position. The mechanisms for making these several adjustments have been mentioned briefly above and will be described in detail below. i

Saw Driving and adjusting mechanism-The mechanisms for mounting, driving andadjusting the saw or other cutting tool are illustrated in Figures 6 toy l0, inclusive, in addition to which the general arrangement of the saw'is kshown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. f f

The saw .is carried in itscircular orbital path on the supporting frame member 22 which is carried by suitable bearings on the ycrank pins 45 and 46 at the ends of crank arms 24 and 25. Thus, the crank pins 45 and 46 rotate within the ends of the frame member 22 as the cranks 24 and 25 carry the frame member 22 with the saw I6 and motor 20 mounted thereon in a circular orbital path. The cranks 24 and 25 are supported on the projecting end portions of hollow shafts 26 and 21, respectively, these shafts be# ing carried by suitable bearings in the upper section II of the apparatus. v

The shafts 26 and 21 are rotated in synchronism and in the same direction by gears 50 and -5I, the gears in turn being driven by a pinion 52 carried by main drive shaft 53 which is driven by the main drive motor 29 throughthespeed reducer 30, the P.I.V. 3l and the coupling 54 (Figures '1 and 7). By these means the saw is driven in its orbital path at the desired rate of speed, it being possible to adjust the rotational speed of the saw by means of the P.I.V. 3I, the relationship between the rotational speed of the main drive motor 29 and thespeed fof the pipe or other work passing throughlthe saw-being maintained by the'controlsfor the\ motor 29 mentioned above. As noted above, the length of cut made'by the saw is determined by the relationship between the rotational speed of the saw and the lineal speed of the work. In order to obtainfcorrect cutting action, the lineal speed of the sawin a direction parallel to the work should approximate as closely as possible the lineal speedof the work vduring the actual cutting operation.

. In order to attain this result, the radius-of the cranks 24 and 25 is made adjustable so that the lineal speed of the saw can be giventhe correct value to produce the proper cuttingy action at different rotational speeds of the saw and when the apparatus is adjusted to make cuts of different lengths. To this end the adjusting mechanism shown particularly in Figures6 and 'Ils provided. Inasmuch as the cranks v241and 25 are preferablyidentical, only crank 24 ,.wlll be described in detail, this crank being shownwin section in Figure 6.y As there shown,.the crank pin is carried by screws 56 and 51.` These screws engage internally threaded sleeves or. nuts 58 and 59 which extenddiametrically through the tubular crank pin 45 and are secured against rotation with respect thereto. 'Thus,frotation of the screws 56 and 51 will increase orr decrease the effective length of the crank armv and the radius of the path of the crank pin 45 and of the saw. s c

In order to protect the screws and their associated mechanisms against dirt, the external parts of the crank 24 comprise a housingpmembert (see Figures 6, and 9). lThe housing 60 is secured to the shaft 26 as by bolts 6I, and supports the thrust bearings 62 andl 63 in which j the inner ends ofthe screws 56 and 51 are mounted. The front end of the housing 60 is provided with an opening which is closed bya slide 65, the crank pin 45 passing through a closely fitting opening in the slide. Thus,.as the screws are operated tol change the radius of crank 24, the slide moves inwardly or outwardly with respect to the housing 60 and keeps the housing closed at al1 times during operation of the machine. The enclosure simplifies the lubrication of the adjusting mechanism andprotects the mechanism against the dirt, scale and the like ordinarily present in a pipe mill.

In order to rotate the screws 56 and"51iand thereby to adjust the length of the vcrank 24, beveled gears 66 and61 are secured to the inner ends of the screws. These gears mesh with beveled gears 68 and 69 which are mounted on and driven by shaft 1I) supported concentrically within hollow shaft 26 by suitable bearings as shown.

It will. be evident that rotation of the shaft'll relative hollow shaft 26 will result in rotation of the screws 56 and 51 about their own axes, whereas,`if shafts 10 and 26 rotate together the screws will be held against turning on their own axes. Thus, the screws 56 and 51 willVA remain yfixed so long as shaft 10 rotates at the same speed as hollow shaft 26, but rotation of the screws 56 and` 51 abouty their own axes may be produced by either slowing down or speeding up lthe rotation of shaft 101with respect to shaft 26 so K that relative rotation takes place between' shaft 'I0 and hollow shaft 26. i i 1 w `Thus 'by appropriately controlling the 'speed` oi rotation of the shaft 10, the screws 56v andf51 can be rotated about their axes during the/loper- `ation ofthe crank 24 and the length` ofthe crank feanbef'lchanged 'I'he Lf-plishingthisv adjustment by means 'of the adjusting motor is shown particularly 'in Figures 6, 7

bandllO. rI'he adjustingmotor; y36(see Figure 10) drives vertical lshafts-l2 through the bevel gear- Shaft V42 drives an upwardly extending vertical shaft 1| through jaw clutch 12-which' is controlled by handle 13.'A The shaft `1| carries a wormV 14'which engages Wormlwheel'15 '(see Fig- L ureY 1). :The worm-wheel 15iis lrigidlylmounted Ton `theplanet carrier :16 of the differential mech- .'a'nisrnV comprising-the1planet' gears 11,' the bevel vpinion 18 and the bevel output pinion 19. 'I he 'planet gears 11 are rotatably.l mounted .on shaft 180-which-iis.supportedlby'the planet carrier 16.

4"Pinion 10 is keyed Vto .shaftl 82, .andthe other end of shaft 02."carries` spur gear* /83 whichv meshes 'fwith gear 50 which drives hollow shaft 26 and thus llrotates the crank 24. Output pinion .'19 of the dif- Lfferential 'iskeyedfto fsh'aft 85, the otherl end of ..shaft 85. carrying bevel pinion 86 'whichmeshes with? bevel: gearA 81. "ported-within. hollowsupportingr shafts 16aand Shafts 82 and 85 areV sup- '166 forthe planet carrier, the shafts 16a and 16h f being suitably journaled linthe' upper `frarnesec- '-'tion- `Gear 81- is keyed tothe horizontally f extending shafti88 which also drives bevel pinions 89? and 90. .*Pinion*f89.drives'pinion 92 whichis keyed to the'end oflshaft 10 opposite the crank 24 (see'Figu're' 6) .I Pinion $0` engages a similar bevel "gear -93honA the' end'ofshaft 9d disposed within hollow shaft 21 of crank 25, and thus rotation of the shaft 98 controls the mechanisms for adjusting the lengths of both cranks 24 and '25.

'Thefolrive mechanism for shaft 08, including lthe'l d'ifferential'-mechanism,V isr such that so 'long l 'as the shaft 1| andworrn 14 are stationary, the "shaft 88 is driven at the same rotational speed :as the hollow *crank shafts 28 and '29, and

inasmuch as the pinions' 89, 90,-v 92 and' 93 all have'the same number of teeth, the'shafts 10 and 94 'of the crank adjusting mechanisms are driven 'f at the same speed and in the same direction as the crank 'shafts 28 and 29. This results from the drive for'shaft V88 being' taken'frorn gear 50 throughgear 83, shaft 02 and the differential mechanism. Gear 83, having half as` many teeth as gear 50, rotates shaftY 82 at twice thespeed "of hollows'haft 26 and in the 'opposite direction; #so long 'as planet carrier 1|; is held stationary' by worm wheel 15 in engagement with worm 14 the only Veffect of the differential is to reverse the direction of rotation, and the'output pinion 19 of vinthe-opposite direction from pinion 18. CorretheA differential rotates at thes'ame speed as but `spondingly, shafts 82 and 85 rotate at the same `R: P. M. but in' opposite directions, making shaft 85'A rotate inthe same direction as the hollow crank shaft 26 and 21, and atitwice the R. P. M.

gears .86 and' 81.

Shaft85' drives shaft 8BY through the'y beveled Inasmuch as beveled gear. 61 contains twice as many teeth as beveled gear'86,

'thespeed tif-rotation of shaft 88 is reduced to the -speed of. crank Vshafts 26 andV 21 and the.

. bevel gearsv 89, 90,A 92 and 93 drive the shafts .1u .and 94.in.. the same direction and at the same .speed 'esule houow shafts 2s and 21.

{Thusfsc long `as-the planet carrier 16 remains Astationary,v theadjusting shafts 1|) and 94'V are driven at the same speed and in the 'saine direction as the crank shafts 26' and 21; no relative rotationtakes place between shaft and shaft 26 or sha-ft 94' and shaft 21, the screws 56 and 51 -are held against rotation about their own axes andi VAthe hollow crank shaftsf 26v and 21.

stant length.

If," however, it is'desiredtofadjust the length of the cranks, operation of the adjusting niotox- 36 with the clutch 12 engaged'rotates the worm y14 and thewormwheel 15 and planet carrier 16. Depending upon the direction of rotation of theworm wheel 15, this operation either increases `or decreases the -rate of rotation of Dinion 19 1o andshaft 85'with' respect to pinion 18 and shaft 82. i For'example, if the worm wheel'15 and planet carrier l16is rotated one full turn with the'shaft 82 and gear 18 stationary, the pinion 19 and shaft 85 `is `rotated. two full turns,` and the shaft 08 1 and shafts 10' and-94 rare rotated one full turn. "The-'same action `tallzes'place-with the mechai changes the length of the cranks 24 and 25. .The

adjustmentcanl be carried outrapidly and easily by operation ofthe adjusting motor 36 and with equal facility whether the machine is operating or idle.

Inasmuch as the saw driving motor 20, the sup- -port 22 and the cranks 24 and 25 are necessarily quite massivefitis desirable to counterbalance these parts. To this end, counterbalances 96 and 91 are secured to the shafts 26 and 21, preferably as close to the bearings 98 and' 99 as possible. The counterbalances may be simple steel castings of appropriatesize and weight. The broken lines inFigures 6 and '7 illustrate the outlines of suitable. counterbalances, the major portion ofcounterbalance '96 which projects upwardly when crank 24 projects downwardly being broken away in' Figure 6 'and'only the hub portions `of the upwardly projecting counterbalances Ashowing in Figure 7.

Work deflecting cam.-As noted above, the cam |4-operates periodically to deflect the Work vinto the path ofthe saw I6, the cam driving means being adjustable so that the work can be deflected into thepath'of the saw by the cam at theproper time to cut the work into pieces of the desired length. The mechanism whereby the camv is-driven in this fashion is illusprovide sufficient" distance between the ends of 'shafts |11V and |09V toavo'idexcessive angulartrated'in' Figures l, 2, 4; 6, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14. In yorder .to synchronize the rotation Vof the cam '|4- with the rotation of the saw, the cam 'is driven b'y'themain drive'motcr 29, the drive being through the hollow crank shaft 26, the beveled gear 10| mounted thereon, the beveled gear |02, vertical shaft 32 which makes a Splined connection with sleeve 33. Sleeve 33 carries beveled' pinion |03fwhich. drives beveled gear |04 mounted yon `the 'short horizontal shaft |05 within 'the'y gearzicase `.|l6 (see Figures l and 6),

A spur gear |01 is'finounted on: shaft |05 and meshesl withl gear |08 (see Figure 4) on stub Vshaft' |09,=`and vshaft |99 drives cam shaft |1 through universal joints ||0 and and telescoping vshaft H2. .This arrangement .is emxployed.. because the shaft |1. ismounted in eccentric I8 the drive is taken from the end of gear: box |06' away from shaft I1 in order to ityand toprovidefor proper operation of the Vuniversal'joints ||0 and Vlll.r Cam I4 is keyed to shaft |1V andJisldriven by the gearing just described in the direction of the a'rrow'in Figure 2 and at the same rotational speed as the saw in its orbital path. The cam is positioned on the saw, the shaft I I is, as previously noted.,

supported by eccentric I8. As shown particularly in Figures 6 and 14, the eccentric |`8 comprises end bearing portions 3 and IIIIand an intermediatey enlarged portionr I I5. The end portions I|3 and I|4 .are supported by suitrable bearings ||6 and |I1 in the gear box ||8, which in turn is carried by the base section I of the apparatus. I I4 also carry bearings 9 and |20 which support the shaft I1. The bearings I|9 and |20 are eccentric with respect to the bearings IIS and I I1. Thus, rotation of the eccentric I8 in the gear box ||8 causes the shaft I1 totravel in a circular path and raises and lowers the cam I4.. The driving mechanism is timed soy that when the shaft I1 is at its highest position,` the cam notch I9 is in its highest position and work disposed in the peripheral groove of the cam I4 will be severed by the saw, thepaths of the saw, cam and work being illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 5.

In order to drive the eccentric in proper timed relationship with the cam and the saw, the shaft is directly connected by coupling |2| to the input shaft |22 of a three-speed transmission contained within the gear box 8 (see Figures 4 and 14). Inasmuch as shaft |05 is driven from the main drive motor which also drives the cam shaft I 1 and the saw in its orbital path, all of these elements are driven in synchronism. The eccentric |8 is driven from the shaft |22 through change speed gearingwhich includes gears |23, |24 and |25 on the shaft |'22 Which mesh, respectively, with gears |26, |21 and |28 xed to the enlarged portion |I5 of the eccentric I8. The gears |23, |24 and |25 are supported for rotation with respect to shaft |22 by ap- The end portions |I3 andk f propriate anti-friction bearings as shown, but

may be keyed in driving relationship to the shaft e by means of sliding jaw clutch membersy |29 and |30 which slide on splined sleeves |3I and |32;k respectively, the sleeves being keyedto the shafty |22. f

In Figure 14 of the drawings, the transmission is shown in neutral position with the gears |23, |24 and |25 all free to rotate with respect t0 shaft |22. to the right, the clutch elements |33 and |34 engage so that gear |23 is locked to shaft |22, and in the embodiment shown, the shaft 22 makes two revolutions for one revolution of thel eccentric I8, gear |26 having twice as many teeth as gear |23. Inasmuch as the cam driving shaft I 1 is driven at the same speed as shaft |05, which is coupled directly to shaft |22, the cam |4 and the saw I6 also make two revolutions for every revolution of the eccentric. ments |33 and |34 are so positioned that when they are in driving engagement, the eccentric I8 is at its highest point when the notch I9 of cam I4 is also at its highest point and the saw at its lowest point.

When the clutch member |29 is slid paratusbe stopped. All other adjustments, however, maybe made with the apparatus running.

When the clutch member |29 is moved to the left, the clutch elements |35 and |35 are engaged, locking the gear |24 to the shaft |22.

'I'he ratio between the teeth on gears |24 and |21 is-one to three. Hence with clutch member |29 moved to theleft, the shaft |22 and the ,cam driving shaft I1rand cam I4 will eachvmake three revolutions for each revolution of the ec.

only in positionssuch that eccentric I8 and the notch I9 of the cam. I4 reach their highest points Y simultaneously, and as previously noted, the saw is timed to be atits lowest point when thev notch I9 is at its highest point.

Clutch member |29 is operated by a shifter y. fork |40 `carried by tubular shaft |4I, and clutchv member |30 is operated by shifter fork |42 carried by shaft |43 disposed within` shaft |4I.r Shafts I 4| and |43 are arranged to be operated by levers |44 and |45, respectively, through rock shafts |46 and I 41vand .levers |48and |49 which L* are` operatively connected to the shafts |4| and |43, respectively (see `Figures `15, 16 ,and 17). Shaft |46 is supportedin lsuitable bearings carried by the base frame I0,and shaft |41v operates WithinV shaft |46 (see Figure `16). The hand levers |44 and |45' are locked -in position byV f i latches |50 and |5| which engage notches in` sectors |52 and |'52a, appropriate interlocksbe ing provided so that only one of gears |23, |24

or |25 can be locked to the shaft |22 at anyv time.

The hand levers. |44 and |45 are connected to their. respective. rock shafts through spring members |53, |54 and |55 which move the .i shafts and shifter forkswhen the clutch mern-L bers rare in proper vposition for engagement and preventv the application of vunduly large forces to the parts if vthe teeth of the jaw clutches.v

should not be in position Afor engagement when the hand levers are moved.

1t ist@ be noted that while the prsentembodiment of the invention shows an arrangement embodying three speed ratios for the-eccentric drive, additional speed ratioscan be provided if desired. Thus, `the eccentrick may be driven at the same speedas the cam or at greater' Y reductions than four to one, depending upon the.; y design loi' thefapparatus and the length of pipe tobecut. f y., y

Adjusting mechanism.-As described above, the number of revolutions of the saw per revolution of the work deflected cam I4 may be'varied by the gear shift-.mechanism just described. Changingthe gear ratiorequires that the ap- These adjustments are the control of the speed of rotation ofthe saw in'its orbit which is effected by the P.I.V. 3|, the control of the radius of the crank arms i24 and 25 through the diffferential mechanism,yand Athe adjustment of -the the operator by conventional push button controls. The driving connections between the ad justing rmotor and the various mechanisms to be adjustedl are shown particularly in Figures .1, 2,.

3, 4, 10, 18, 19, 20 and 21..

Asy previously described, theadjusting motor.

drives the downwardly extending vertical shaft 42 through the beveled gearing43,.the shaft 42 driving the screw jacks 35 through the bevel.. gearing. and shafts 31, 38,38 and. 4|).` At its upper end the shaft 42 drives the. upwardly ex.- tending shaft 1| through the `jaw clutch..12v.

Worm 14, which, .as previously.. described, drives the differential mechanismfor. controlling the radius of the crank arms 24 and 25, is keyed to shaft 1|.

Shaft 1| extendsupwardly beyond 'worm 14.

and through the mechanism shown particularly in Figures 18, 19, 20 and 21 drives the adjusting zontally extending transverse shaft |69 which is carried by suitable bearings in the gear housing |10; shaft |69 drives worm |1| which.. engages the indicator hand driving `worm. wheel` |12 mounted upon the short` shaft |13, the outer end of which carries the indicator hand |65. hand is secured in place by setscrew |65a and hence can be adjusted or reset if necessary.

In order to drive the adjustmentfor the. P'.I.V. a bevel pinion |14 is mounted on the end of shaft |69 opposite bevel gear.. |68. Pinion |14 drives bevel gear |15 which drives horizontal shaft |16 through'. coupling |11. As shownparticularly in Figure 21, shaft |16 drives the stub shaft |18 through" jaw clutch |19. the Vclutch Ybeing vcontrolled by link |80 operated by handle |8| and locked in engaged or disengaged .position as de sired by pin |82 extending through Van opening inthe cover plate |83 of the vertically extending housing |84 for the adjusting mechanism of the PLV.. (see Figures 1, 18 and `21). The shaft'|18 drives the P I.V. adjusting shaft |85 through the bevel gears |86 and |81.

From the foregoing, it will be evident thatV the adjusting motor controls the speed of rotation of the Acranks and hence ofthe 'saw in its .orbital path,'the position. ofthe upper section upon The.

vso

the Abase ||l and the radius of the crank armsx,

At the Vsame time,v the indicator |65 is. moved' to indicate the approximateV length of cut for which `the machine is set. Inasmuch as the crank arms are driven 'by the main ydrive motor 29 and the main drive motor is driven at a speed proportional to the speed-of the mill supplying pipe to the saw, the Ylength of cut is not affected by variations inspeed Aof the main drive motor. However, by changingthe ratio Yof the P.I.V. through operation of the adjusting motor '36,

the length of the cut can be varied,Y an increase in the speed of the -rotation of the crank arms. and motor resulting in a decrease inthe length of the pieces cut by'the apparatus and .vice

versa.

In order to maintain the speed. ofthe saw at the time -that the cutting action takes place 12j??- constant even though the rotational speed is decreased. The A.reverse ,action.takes place when the..rotational. speed ofthe saw is increased..

These adjustments andthe adjustment. of the upper .section on the base are effected simule. taneously by the operation of the adjusting motor 36. However, the position of the upper section on the base can be adjusted without making any other .changes by disengaging the jaw clutch..12 so that the adjusting motor drivesonly the screw jacks and. does not change vthe adjustment.

of the .P LV.` or the length of the crank arms. This separate .adjustmentis necessary in adjustingthe machine to .cut different, sizes of pipe or to compensate for different. diameters of saw blades. Also, adjustments ofthe radius otv the crank arm can be carried out without adjusting. the speedcontrol of the P.I.V by disengaging. jaw clutch,|18.. The operator .uses this adjust- Y ment to make the lineal speed of the saw correspond as accurately as possible to .the speed of.. Whenever maintain the saw blade in proper' position with respect to the path ofthe work.

Summary .of operation-By means of the various adjusting mechanisms just described .and

the change speed gearing for. drivingthe eccentric, the operator can adjust the apparatus. to cut..

the pipe or other workpiece into accurate lengths withina comparatively wide range. of the pieces cut is determined bythe number., of

cuts made by the saw in a given length ofpipe..

This in turn is determined bythe number. of revo-1 lutions of the saw and-of the eccentric which carries the. work deecting cam during the. passage of a givenlengthv of pipe through. the machine.

As pointed out above, the main drive motor .29 l is controlled by appropriate electricalor .me-.- chanical means so that it operates..a.t.a speed.

accurately proportional to theV speed o tra-vel of the mill. Therefore, the main drive .motor 28 makes a certain definite-number of revolutions per unit of lengthof pipe passing through the cut-off apparatus, and thisratio-remainscon. stantregardless of changes in speed of thev mill.,

It followsthen that vby: employing yappropriate gearing. and by proper .adjustment of the P. I. V.. thesawcan be made to carry out the. number of cutting operationsfor a given length of pipe required to cut the pipe into sections of desired length.

Assume, for example,.that it is. desired to cut pipe passing through the apparatus into twenty foot. lengths. This .requires fty cuts for each one thousand feet of. pipe passing through the apparatus. If the ratio of the change speed gearing in gearbox |8 is two to one, the pipe will be deflected into the. path ofthe saw every other revolution ofthe saw. Therefore, the P.I.V. 3| should be adjusted so that for every one thousand feet of pipe passing throughthe apparatus, the saw |6 and cam I4 will rotate one hundred times,

and the eccentric willrotate vfty times to lift the cam to enable the cam to deflect the pipe into position where it is severed by the saw. This ratio. of one hundred revolutionsof the sav.1 per one thousand. feet of pipe travel is constant for the length of cut desired and independent of changes in speed in operation of the mill and out-off apparatus. Therefore, the operator can adjust the P.I.V. to make cuts of approximately the desired length while. the apparatus is sta 'I'he length tionary and then as the mill is being brought up to speed, the final adjustments for accurate lengths of cut can be made while the machine .is`y

running. However, the machine must be 'stopped if it is necessary to change the ratio of the change speed gearing.

Inasmuch as the saw is carried at a uniform speed of the saw in a direction parallel to the` movement of the pipe can be made to approxin mate very closely the lineal speed of the pipe and, as will be seen by reference to Figure 5, the cutting action of the saw takes place as the saw travels through a comparatively small arc (about 20 in the example shown). Therefore, the differences in speed between saw and work during the cutting operation are small and the saw blade, which may have, for example, a diameter of about 24 inches, deects sufliciently during the cutting operation to compensate for the slight variations in speed, the cutting Vaction taking place without damaging the out ends of the pipe and the squareness of the cut being maintained sufficiently for all ordinary commercial purposes. Thus, by carrying out the cutting 1 operation quickly, it is possible to obtain sufficiently close synchronization of the saw and the work, and atA the same time move the saw in a circular path at a uniform rotational speed, thereby making possible the use of simple and sturdy mechanisms and obtaining smooth, steady operation.

l In order to make the lineal speed of the saw correspond as closely as possible to the speed of' the work, the radius of the cranks carrying the saw may be adjusted as described above.

the saw will travel one thousand feet in its orbital path While rotating one hundred times, i. e., for

each revolution the saw should travel ten feet; therefore, the radius of the cranks carrying the saw should be about 19.1 inches.

In operation, the operator adjusts the P'.I.V. by means of adjusting motor 36 to produce 'cuts of the desired length, preliminary adjustment being made by reference to pointer IE5 and' dial 66 and nal corrections being made by actually measuring the length of the vpieces beingcut.y Through the gearing previously described, the adjusting motor simultaneously adjusts the length of the crank arms to produce substantially cor-k rect lineal speed of the saw during the cutting operation and also moves the upper section Il up or down on the base sectionV l0 by means of whether or not additional adjustment of they crank arms is required toobtain the best cutting action. If, for example, the saw is traveling too"4 slowly, the advancing section of pipe will deect the portion 'of the blade of the saw in engagement with the pipe in the direction of pipe travel (to the right in Figures 2 and 5 of the drawings)v indicating tothe operator that the lineal speed of the saw should be increased by increasing the radius of the crank arms 24 and 25. He can make Thisv radius in the example given should be such that the required adjustment by disengagingthe jaw# clutch |19 (Figure 21), thus disconnectingV the i adjusting Amotor from the speedcontrol for "the from cutting the cam l 4. I

Obviously, if the portion of the saw bladey in engagement with the pipe is deilected in the op; l

posite direction, the radius of thecrank arms.v

should be shortened to reduce the lineal speed of the saw. Deection of the saw blade cannot be entirely eliminated, but it canbe reduced to 45 an amount having negligible eiect on the cutting .f

action of the saw.

In the example given, the saw makes one hun-k dred revolutions for each one thousand feetof.

pipe passing through the apparatus; that is,-if" the pipe should be traveling atv one'thousandfeet'fr per minute, the saw would becarriedaround its orbital path at a speed of one hundred R. P.

Different lengths of cut can bernade'at this same saw speed by adjustment of the changef speed gearing for the eccentric. Thus, if' the gear ratio is increased'from two to :one to. three to one, the'length of cut 4will :be increased to .thirty f feet, and if the gear ratio is increased to vfour y .to one, v.the length of cut will be increased toforty feet. These changes can be made only by stopping* the apparatus and shifting the gears by means of the levers |44 and 145.' Such changes inthe gear :f ratiorequire no change in thePlVL- or'the'length" of the crank arms for cuttingthe"y pipefof the lengths specified. However, withinthe'range-'of the apparatus, an infinite number' ofV lengths'joff.

pipe can be cut for each speed ratio'. 'i A Thus, in an apparatus such as'shownin me y drawings, the P.I.V. andthe crank radius can be adjusted to cut lengths of pipe from 18 `to 27?: feet at the two to one ratio, from k27 to 401/2 feet`- at the three to one ratio, and from 36 toy 54 fi'eet,"

at the four to one ratio. Adjustment of the appa ratus within any one of these ranges can, be"y made while the apparatus is running, the ad' justing motor being utilized to" adjust simul-r taneously the P.I.V., the length 'ofrthecr'ank arms and the position' of the uppersection on the' basa",

the length of cut being accurately set rst b'y i meansof the simultaneous adjustment of'fa'll three elements and thereafter the radius of the crank arms'being adjusted t0 accurately give*f the desired lineal speed of the'saw.

It will be understood' that the gearing betweex'il the adjusting motor and the several instrumen-k' talities which it'controls is selected so' that simultaneous adjustment of the instrumentalities is substantiallyrcorrect, .only a small amount of additional adjustment ordinarily being required.

The hand |65 and the dial `|66 indicate with a considerable degree of accuracy the lengthofeutv for which the apparatus is set.Vv y

It will be noted that the apparatus, contains no reciprocating parts. The saw is carried in its l circular orbital path at a uniform rotational" speed.

It is unnecessary to accelerate and de'- celerate` anyheavy masses in the operation yof the apparatus, andthe saw and vits d'1fivin`. riamn'i\ supporting mechanisms are counterbalanced so i that the machine operates without excessive vibration. Therefore, it isV possible to operate the" apparatus at high speed for long periods gif-time4 and with the production of pipe sections vcutacf` Y curately to length within','for example, a`toler` ance ofY plus or minus one inch in a piece thirty feet long.

Necessary adjustments can be made quickly and accurately anda wide range of lengths can be cut. The operation of the cam in deilecting the pipe into the path of the saw results in the severing of the pipe taking place very rapidly with the saw severing the pipe in a small fraction of a revolution and quickly moving again out of the path of the pipe. The speed of this operation is such that the difference in the distance traveled by the pipe and the distance traveled by the saw in a direction parallel to the pipe during the cutting operation is so small as to be negligible insofar as proper operation of the sav.T is concerned.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can vbe made in my invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof. The apparatus can be adapted for other purposes and uses. It is intended, therefore, that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

I claim:

- 1. Apparatus for severing successive longitudinal sections from continuously moving elongated work such as pipe, tube, rod and the like, comprising a cutting tool, a rotary support for said cutting tool comprising a crank and means for rotating said crank to cause said tool to travel in ya ci-rcular path, means for guiding the work in a normal path displaced radially from the center of rotationv of said crank and near but not intersecting the path of said tool, means driven in synchronism with said crank for periodically deilecting the work from its said normal path into the path of the tool, means for varying the radius of said crank and means for simultaneously varying the distance between the center of rotation of said crank and said guide means and deflecting means to maintain the relationship between the path of the work and the path of the tool substantially constant regardless of changes in the radius of said crank.

2. Apparatus for severing successive longitudinal sections from continuously moving work such as pipe, tube, rod and the like, comprising a cutting tool, a rotary support for said cutting tool comprising a crank and means for rotating said crank to cause said tool to travel in a circular path, means for guiding the work in a normal path displaced radially from the center of rotation of said crank, means for varying the radius of said crank while said crank is rotating, and means for simultaneously varying the distance between the guiding means for said work and the center of rotation of said crank to maintain the relationship between theV path of said work and the path of said tool substantially constant regardless of changes in the radius of said crank.

3. Apparatus for severing successive longitudinal sections from continuously moving work such as pipe, tube, rod and the like comprising a cutting tool, a rotary support for said cutting tool comprising a crank and means for rotating said crank to cause said tool to travel in a circular path, means for guiding the work in a path parallel to the plane of the circular path of the tool and displaced from the center of rotation of said crank, means for varying the radius of said crank, and means for varying the distance between the guiding means for said work and the center of rotation of said crank whereby the relationship between the path of said work and the path of said tool can be maintained substantially constant regardless of changes in the radius of said crank.

4. Apparatus for severing successive longitudinal sections from continuously moving work such as pipe, tube, rod and the like, comprising a cutting tool, a rotary support for said cutting tool comprising a crank and means for rotating said crank to cause said tool to travel in a circular path, means for guiding the work in a path parallel to the plane of the circular path of the tool and displaced radially from the center of rotation of said crank, means synchronized with the drive of the work for driving said crank, said crank driving means embodying a variable speed drive, whereby the ratio between the speed of crank and the speed of the work and, correspondingly, the length of the sections severed from the work can be varied, means for varying the radius of said crank while said crank is rotating, and means for varying the distance between the guiding means for said work and the center of rotation of said crank to maintain the relationship between the path of said work and the path of said tool substantially constant regardless of changes in the radius of said crank.

5. Apparatus for severing successive longitudinal sections from continuously moving work such as pipe, tube, rod and the like, comprising a cutting tool, a rotary support for said cutting tool comprising a crank and means for rotating said crank to cause said tool to travel in a circular path, means for guiding the work in a path parallel to the plane of the circular path of the tool and displaced from the center of rotation of said crank, means synchronized with the drive of the work for driving said crank, said crank driving means embodying a variable speed drive, whereby the ratio between the speed of crank and the speed of the work and, correspondingly, the length of the sections severed from the work can be varied, means for varying the radius of said crank While said crank is rotating, means for varying the distance between the guiding means for said work and the center of rotation of said crank to maintain the relationship between the path of said work and the path of said tool substantially constant regardless of changes in the radius of said crank, and motor operated means for simultaneously adjusting the variable speed drive, the radius of the crank and the distance between the guiding means and the center of rotation of the crank.

6. Apparatus for severing successive longitudinal sections from continuously moving work such as pipe, tube, rod and the like, comprising a cutting tool, a rotary support for said cutting tool comprising a crank and means for rotating said crank to cause said tool to travel in a circular path, means for guiding the work in a path outside of the path of the tool and parallel to the plane of the circular path of the tool and displaced from the center of rotation of said crank, means synchronized with the drive of the work for driving said crank, means driven in synchronism with the crank driving means for periodically defiecting the Work into the path of the tool, change speed gearing interposed in the 'drive for said deflecting means for varying the number of revolutions of said crank per operation of said deflecting means, said crank driving means embodying a variable speed drive, whereby the ratio between the speed of crank and the speed of the work and, correspondingly, the 

